


watch you grow, watch you leap

by phoenix_inthe_fire



Category: Atypical (TV 2017)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-25 17:55:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21360298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenix_inthe_fire/pseuds/phoenix_inthe_fire
Summary: “Casey that’s a hickey.” Elsa says unnecessarily, something like shock freezing her limbs.Casey adjusts the sweater so that it’s hidden again. Elsa doesn’t think she’ll forget how much the deep purple hickey in the shape of a mouth, Izzie’s mouth, looks so obvious and out of place against the paleness of her daughters skin.Or, Elsa realizes she's got to have another sex talk with Casey.
Relationships: Casey Gardner/Izzie
Comments: 34
Kudos: 1048





	watch you grow, watch you leap

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't help myself. I was rewatching season 1 with a friend and when Elsa tries to give Casey the sex talk my brain was like 'wait wait wait, but Izzie' and then I wrote this. I'm just getting my feet wet in the Cazzie rivers y'all.

Casey likes to think that she’s sneaky, but Elsa knows her well. Her darling girl wore her heart on her sleeve. For as much as she tried to pretend she didn’t have them in the first place, her feelings always bled all over her face. The first inkling comes with Casey breaking up with Evan.

To her knowledge they were going fine. Doug had even told her Casey had tried to sneak out to see him a few nights ago. But then Casey’s face had been ashen when she’d walked into the kitchen, her eyes glistening with unshed tears even as her cheeks were stained with dried ones. It had taken her by surprise and while she’d switched full into mom mode for comfort, she’d filed the information away for later. 

The second inkling comes with Izzie herself. 

“Hi,” Izzie says, breathy and nervous when Elisa opens the door, her hands are knotted in front of her. She’s only been staying with them for a few days but Elsa has already grown more than fond of her in a way she hasn’t with any of Casey’s other friends. She thinks this might add to her inkling too. “I know you said I didn’t have to knock but-”

Elsa smiles at her, “Oh honey, we’ll get you a key! I’m just so used to you being with Casey that I didn’t think it’d be an issue.” 

Izzie’s face flickers and oh, Elsa files that away too. “Yeah,” She says slowly, “I haven’t seen Casey much lately.” 

Elsa blinks innocently, “Why not?” 

Izzie shrugs her shoulders helplessly and Elsa notices the way she seems to curl in on herself, the way her eyes glaze over, “I don’t know.” She says despondently, “I k-keep missing her I guess.” There’s something she isn’t sharing because even though Izzie probably has an impressive poker face with her peers, Elsa is still a _ mom _ and she can tell when something isn’t quite right.

Elsa worries her bottom lip between her teeth. She also knows there’s a chance that this could blow up in her face but there was no way she couldn’t help Izzie when she was making that face. She looked like a kicked puppy and Elsa knew first hand how Casey could get when she was going through things. She didn’t want Izzie to be an unfortunate victim in the aftermath of Casey’s breakup. It was partly to protect Casey too because Elsa knew how much Izzie meant to her. 

“Come on,” Elsa says, her mind finally made up, “Why don’t you come have some tea with me and we can track Casey’s phone.” She says conspiratorially, giving Izzie a slight nudge. 

Izzie looks surprised for a moment but then her shoulders lighten and her somber face shifts into a shy smile instead. Her fingers still knot loosely in front of her but they stop their anxious twisting as she follows Elsa to the kitchen.

The tea is ready in a jiff because Elsa is an ace at this. If there is one thing she is confident in these days it’s her ability to be a mom. Even when she was at her worst, she realizes now that she’d done a good job, way better than her mother ever was, that's for sure. 

Izzie sips at her mug demurely and though she seems to have lightened up, her eyes still carry that haunted look. Elsa recognizes it as somehow who’s done something she shouldn’t have, something she’s personally familiar with. She pulls out her phone and opens her tracker app. If she’s honest she could probably guess where Casey was by process of elimination alone. Since she wasn’t with Evan anymore, that option was clearly out and since Izzie was currently sitting in front, that option was out too. The tracker app only confirms her suspicions. 

“I’ll tell you where she is on one condition,” Elsa tells her, a smile on her face but it doesn’t denote her seriousness. Izzie looks up at her with wide eyes and Elsa gets the feeling that she would agree to anything Elsa said next. She files that away for later too, “Don’t hurt her.” She doesn’t offer an explanation or go into depth. For all Izzie knows she could mean physical, she knew Izzie had a temper from Casey’s own mouth, but if her suspicions were right then-

“I promise.” Izzie whispers, her eyes bounce between Elsa’s and though she is a touch still nervous, she seems determined now too. 

Elsa smiles sadly. If only it were that simple as a promise. Elsa knows now that it’s a process and it takes work. “She’s at the track. At Clayton.” 

Izzie blinks and then she scoffs, “Of course she is.” She shakes her head, seemingly at her own self, her brow furrowed in anger, “Why didn’t I think of that?” 

“Probably because it’s night time, honey. She should be home.” Elsa reminds her, “Why don’t you go get her for me?” 

Izzie looks nervous again, chokes a little laugh that’s more an exhale than anything but she nods all the same. “Okay… I’ll go- I’ll go get her then.” She stares at Elsa but doesn’t move just yet. 

Elsa hopes she gives her as much courage as she can through a look. She still doesn’t know everything that Izzie has gone through, continues to go through, at home but she knows that she will do whatever she can to make it a little easier. Helping her find her stubborn daughter is only a small thing to do.

“Okay.” Izzie says again but this time the determination is back and she gets up from the table quickly. She takes two steps out of the kitchen before turning back around. “Thank you,” She says sincerely, her hands knotted in front of her belly again, “For helping me.” 

Elsa offers her a smile and nods. “Anytime, sweetie.” 

-

Elsa doesn’t fall asleep until she hears them come home. It’s later than she expects but not late enough for her to be worried. She waits and waits and smiles when she hears them giggling and thumping around and she knows they’ll be okay. 

-

It’s like their back to normal the next morning and Elsa is happy at the way Casey starts to smile again. She’d stop moping so much about Evan a few days ago but she hadn’t actually smiled or looked happy like she had before. Casey doesn’t look like that now. 

“Oh come on!” Casey guffaws, staring wide eyed at the way Izzie practically drowns her pancakes in syrup, “That’s not even going to taste good now!” 

Izzie giggles but she’s smirking, wiggles the syrup bottle for emphasis. “It’s gonna be sooo good.” She exaggerates an mm and Casey’s mouth hangs open. Izzie takes her fork and cuts a sizeable bite into her pancakes. She shoves the whole forkful into her mouth, syrup dripping off the utensil and onto her lap if the way she jolts is anything to go by. 

Casey immediately breaks into laughter but she grabs a napkin anyway. Elsa is only mildly disgusted at the way Izzie laughs and chokes pancakes back out of her mouth. 

“Casey!” Izzie gurgles, still laughing and chewing on bits of pancake. 

“Oh no don’t blame me lady!” Casey crows with laughter, swiping the napkin against Izzie’s mouth and then her chin. 

Izzie kind of freezes at the contact, her eyes going wide. She peeks in Elsa’s direction but Elsa keeps her eyes focused on the dishes. She lets Casey clean off her chin and mouth when she thinks Elsa isn’t looking.

“Such a pig.” Casey says, still fond.

Izzie laughs, breathless, from the pancakes or the contact Elsa doesn’t know. “Says you Newton, I’ve seen your living habits.” 

Casey smirks and tucks into her own breakfast and that’s the end of it. 

-

Izzie goes home two days later and Casey seems sad at her absence. 

“She can still come over.” Elsa tells Casey over dinner if only to stop the long face Casey had permanently etched on since she came home alone. 

Casey stabs at her vegetables despondently, “Yeah but still. I worry.”

Elsa holds back her comments on how openly Casey was able to admit that, how cute it was that she couldn’t even go a full 48 hours without missing her. She puts food in her mouth to stop the words from coming out. The time to chew lets her weigh what she’s going to say more carefully. “Izzie knows she has a safe place here and that’s all that matters.” 

Casey’s jaw clenches but she sighs and deflates into her seat. Though she doesn’t say much else for the rest of dinner, she does look less troubled.

-

At this point, Elsa is positive there is something going on between Casey and Izzie that’s more than just close friendship. She wonders when one of them will tell her. She’d had an inkling for some time but the confirmation for her really comes from Sam. 

“What are you looking at, honey?” Elsa asks, just a little sleepy as she enters into the kitchen. It’s not very often that Sam is up and ready before her but it isn’t so uncommon that she’s immediately worried at the sight of him. 

“I’m drawing a picture of Sphen and Magic.” He says above the scratching of his pencil. His sketchbook is laid out in front of him along with his pencils and his laptop. When Elsa peeks over his shoulders the image on his laptop is of two penguins huddled in a cave. 

“Why are you drawing Sphen and Magic?” Elsa asks curiously. She leaves him after, heading instead to the coffee machine to get it going and then pulling things for breakfast out of the fridge. 

“They were given another egg to foster. They’ve already fostered one penguin together after a negligent heterosexual penguin pairing left their egg out in the open but the Sydney Aquarium has recently given them a new one to foster. They say their nest is the most beautiful and neatest.” Sam informs her matter of factly. He never even looks up from his sketchbook and Elsa isn’t surprised. 

Elsa still blinks owlishly at the information, her un-caffeinated brain churning slowly. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for Sam to draw penguins, or things that interested him currently but Elsa can’t help but wonder if maybe it has something to do with the way Casey and Izzie were always giggly and blushy around each other now. 

“I’m giving it to Casey.” Sam says abruptly, he looks up at her then, his brow twisted, “Do you think she would prefer color or shades of grey?” 

Elsa’s grin is slow to bloom and Sam waits patiently, his eyebrows flexed pointedly as he awaits her answer, “I think she would like some color. Maybe you can practice some of those layering techniques you were talking about?” 

Sam looks mildly interested at this and looks back down at his sketchbook. “That’s a good idea.” 

-

It turns out that Elsa doesn’t have to wait very much longer to be told officially. 

“Hey mom,” Casey calls out tentatively, crossing the threshold into the kitchen. “Can I talk to you about something?” 

Elsa is pleased that she’s even asking and she tries to reign in her excitement, lest she scare Casey off. “Sure, sweetie, what’s going on?” 

Casey looks uncharacteristically nervous and Elsa knows that this will be the moment. She’s read up on it of course, because even though she didn’t mind Casey dating Izzie in the slightest, she still wanted to be equipped to handle it with the utmost sensitivity. She was notorious for putting her foot in her mouth, even with the best intentions and everything was still so tentative around the house. That last thing she wanted to do was ruin that, especially after the hell year they’d had as a family.

“Izzie and I are dating.” Casey says in a rush, “And before you say anything just know I don’t care how you feel about it.” She says defiantly, raising her chin even as her voice quivers nervously, “And I’m not going to stop seeing her if you don’t like it.” 

Elsa blinks, tapers down her wide grin into a smaller smile though it’s no less genuine. “Honey, I love Izzie and I love you.” She decides to say because really that’s all she decides that matters, “But I promised Izzie a safe space in this house and that’s not going to change if you guys fight or break up.” She tells Casey firmly. 

Casey blinks at her owlishly and for a moment Elsa thinks she’s said the wrong thing but then Casey’s tension loosens and a wide, relieved smile takes over her face. “Cool,” She chirps, “Cool, cool. You already love her more than me I get it.” She takes a short breath and then, “Iz is great.” The smile on her face is new and Elsa feels her heart melt at it. 

It’s different than it was with Evan. This one is more besotted, more dreamy, like Casey can’t actually believe it and Elsa wants to squeal and gush about her baby girl being madly in love. It’s Casey though and Elsa knows her daughter well enough to know not to push. It’d been a mistake she’d made in the past, pushing more than Casey was willing to give. She’s found now that letting Casey come to her was the key. It happened more frequently than it did before and Elsa is happy for the new found balance. 

“Casey,” Elsa grins when Casey turns to leave, points her spatula at her seriously, “Door open when Izzie comes over.” 

“Mom!” Casey blushes and groans, “You’re so- oh my god.” She leaves in a huff after that and Elsa can only laugh.

-

Seeing Izzie after they’ve decided to officially date is funnier than it should be. Izzie is so nervous that Elsa can’t even tease her without feeling guilty. It’s interesting though, to see Casey shift with this new dynamic. She puffs her chest a little more, lays a protective arm over the back of Izzie’s chair, dares anyone to make a comment on it. Elsa isn’t used to seeing her like that with anyone who isn’t Sam. She decides it’s nice. 

“Izzie,” Elsa half sighs, fondness and annoyance edging her tone, “You look like you’re about to pass out. It’s okay.” They’re doing the dishes together after dinner because Elsa had wanted a quiet moment with Izzie where Casey wasn’t hovering. She still catches Casey looking in their direction every five minutes with a narrowed, suspicious glare. 

Izzie looks at her with wide eyes. “Sorry,” She almost whispers, “I’m just nervous.” 

“About what?” Elsa asks her patiently. 

Izzie shrugs, doesn’t say anything as she dries two more dishes, “Are you really okay with me dating Casey? Not just being her friend?” She finally musters the courage to ask. 

“Yes,” Elsa says quickly though not for lack of thought, “You make Casey very happy and I can see how much you care about her. Plus you’re a good kid, Izzie.” She channels all her mom-ness into it and even though she half expects it, she’s still a little sad when Izzie’s eyes water. 

“Thank you, Elsa.” Izzie tells her, sniffles once and then her eyes clear. 

Elsa bumps her shoulder, “Don’t tell Casey but you’re my favorite.” 

The beaming grin Izzie gives her is worth Casey’s ire.

-

Their first fight comes 3 months into dating. 

Elsa’s knitting on the couch because it seemed like something she might enjoy. It requires a certain kind of focus to get the patterns in so she’s understandably shaken when the front door bangs open and shut with a lot more force than necessary. 

It’s Casey because of course it is. She tumbles in in a huff, a whirlwind of jerking limbs and blinding anger. She stomps up the stairs and slams her door shut and Elsa blinks. 

“Oh boy,” Elsa says to herself and mentally prepares herself for battle. She gives Casey 30 minutes to settle in before she’s knocking on her door. 

“Go away.” Casey snaps. 

Elsa ignores her and opens it anyway. Casey’s sitting in the middle of her bed doing homework, still in her uniform but she’s still angry. Her school tie is half off and there are two red splotches on her cheeks where her anger liked to pool and simmer until she exploded. “You okay, Case?” 

Casey looks up at her and the look on her face suggests that she’s absolutely not but she’s way too angry to put it into words. Elsa is still surprised when she says anything. “Girls are freaking stupid.” She says gruffly. 

Elsa bites her lip to keep from laughing. She nods her head placatingly. “Yes, I agree. Do you want to talk about it?” 

Casey’s jaw tenses and for a moment Elsa thinks she’s going to lash out. So imagine her surprise when Casey only sighs and says, “Not yet. I’m too angry to think.” 

Elsa blinks, “Okay, I’ll be in the kitchen making dinner if you feel up to it.” 

Casey doesn’t respond to her but Elsa still counts it as a success. She makes good on her word and heads to the kitchen to start dinner. She’d done most of the prep for it earlier and she gets into the zone as she throws everything together. It’s when she’s chopping some vegetables for salad that Casey slinks down the stairs. 

She isn’t foaming at the mouth anymore is the first thing Elsa notices but her face is slotted into an almost pout. 

“Hey,” Elsa greets, unable to curtail her excitement at Casey possibly taking her up on her offer to talk about her feelings, “Wanna help me make the salad?” 

Casey grimaces and plops down onto the bar stool on the other side of the counter from her. “Ew, no.” 

Elsa huffs and slaps Casey’s hand as she steals a handful of cherry tomatoes. “Don’t spoil your dinner young lady.” 

Casey shoves the whole handful into her mouth in defiance. Elsa stares at her flatly as she chews obnoxiously. In all honesty, it didn’t bother her in the slightest. She prefered this Casey to the angry one any day. Eventually Casey finishes her mouthful of cherry tomatoes and her face goes serious. 

“Izzie and I are fighting.” Casey informs her. 

Elsa doesn’t look up from her salad making, aware of Casey watching her reaction like a hawk. Elsa isn’t sure what she’s looking for. She still felt like some part of Casey was waiting for her to go against her relationship but she sure wasn’t going to find it. “Oh?” She says, her voice light, “About what?” 

Casey sighs, “She was just being a huge jerk to me today. I think something maybe happened with her mom.” 

Elsa does look up at that. She was fully aware of the tumultuous relationship Izzie had with her mother. It was something that had initially endeared Izzie to her. She saw portions of herself in the younger girl and it made her sad. “Did she say what happened with her mom?”

Casey spins herself back and forth on the stool and shakes her head no solemnly. “I just got a gut feeling.” 

Elsa smiles at her teasingly, “Aw you’re in tune with her emotions.” 

Casey grimaces, “Gross,” But then she sighs, “I guess I am. She usually gets like this when her mom is being a turd. She made us do extra running at practice today it was terrible.” She says like the idea of running was abhorrent, like she wasn’t on a track team. 

“Well,” Elsa begins, “Sometimes when people are upset about one aspect of their life they take it out on another. Izzie can’t make her mom run extra but she can make you guys.” 

“Its stupid,” Casey says bluntly, “We didn’t do anything. _ I _didn’t do anything.” 

“I know, sweetie,” Elsa tells her, sadness tinging her smile because she wished Casey didn’t have to know what this frustration was like and she certainly wished Izzie didn’t have to deal with it either. “But if I know Izzie, which I think I do very well,” Casey gags, “I’m sure she’ll realize it and apologize.” 

“It’s-” Casey hesitates, “It’s kind of exhausting.” She admits like she’s ashamed to even feel it. 

Elsa smiles reassuringly. “I bet. Maybe you two can work out some kind of system where you can tell Izzie she’s projecting and maybe it’ll help her snap out of it.” 

Casey huffs a short laugh, “Mom, have you ever tried to tell Izzie to do something?” She says it like the idea in itself is ridiculous. 

“Izzie always does what I ask,” Elsa tells her haughtily, “She’s a sweetheart.” 

Casey laughs sarcastically but there’s a genuinely fond smile on her face when she stops.

“Just talk to her about it, honey.” Elsa suggests, “She may not even realize she’s doing it.” 

Casey looks off in contemplation. They lapse into a small silence after that. Elsa doesn’t even have to ask Casey to set the table before she’s already pulling out place mats and plates. Elsa doesn’t even try and hide her pleased grin. It’s once Casey has set the last plate that the doorbell goes off. 

Casey immediately looks up at her with wide eyes and Elsa grins. 

“I bet dishes duty that it’s Izzie.” Elsa calls after her. 

Izzie is indeed on the other side of the door if Casey’s crossed arms are anything to go by. Elsa tries not to listen to the words they exchange but she can only imagine what they are with Izzie’s fingers knotted in front of her belly and the wide beseeching look in her eyes that Elsa can see from all the way over _ here. _

“Hey mom,” Casey calls out tentatively from the threshold of the kitchen and living room, “Can Izzie stay for dinner?” 

“Sure,” Elsa chirps, offering Izzie a wide smile, “Set an extra place!” 

“I can do it,” Izzie pipes in. Her hand comes up to rest on Casey’s bicep for a moment before she heads to the cabinet. 

“I guess I owe you dishes.” Casey grumbles when she passes Elsa to grab the salad to carry to the table. 

Elsa bops her on the nose and hands her the salad tongs, “Mother always knows best.” 

Casey rolls her eyes but Elsa still catches a small smile on her face when she turns around. 

-

It’s not that Elsa forgets that Casey is still a hormonal teenager. It’s just that with Evan she’d been so careful and Elsa has never really worried about anything. With Izzie, she’s finding, it’s not quite the same. 

“Casey what’s on your neck?” Elsa catch’s sight of something dark, almost purplish on the edge of Casey’s neckline and assumes the worse. Her daughter tugs her sweatshirt up into place and effectively covers the mark. 

“Nothing, stop looking at me.”

Elsa pulls at it anyway. “Honey it could be a rash. I switched laundry detergent to help with your sweat smell. Just let me-“ Her hand succeeds in uncovering the splotch much to Casey’s dismay and Elsa let’s her go just as quickly as she’d snatched. 

Casey blushes all the way to her ears. “Jeez, Mom!” She hisses in embarrassment, “I said stop looking!”

“Casey that’s a hickey.” Elsa says unnecessarily, something like shock freezing her limbs. 

Casey adjusts the sweater so that it’s hidden again. Elsa doesn’t think she’ll forget how much the deep purple hickey in the shape of a mouth, _ Izzie’s mouth _, looks so obvious and out of place against the paleness of her daughters skin. 

She doesn’t get a chance to say more before Casey’s grumbling about school and taking off. It’s then that Elsa realizes she’s going to have to have the sex talk with Casey. _ Again. _And that she has absolutely no idea what to tell her. 

-

Elsa does research and she makes phone calls and she makes a plan. It still takes her nearly a month to work up her nerve. 

-

“Hey guys is Izzie staying for- OH MY GOD!” Elsa slams the door shut almost as quickly as she’s opened, a knee jerk reaction to what she’d seen on the other side of it. 

She hears a scream, a thump and a lot of hushed whispering before Casey is clawing open the door again. 

“Hello mother.” Casey says coolly. Elsa would almost believe the act if Casey’s cheeks and neck weren’t fire engine red. 

“I was just asking if Izzie was staying for dinner.” Elsa says flatly, letting her disapproval show. 

“Uh yeah,” Izzie pipes in breathily from somewhere behind Casey’s shoulder. She’s blushing too but she seems to have found her shirt even if she won’t quite meet Elsa's eyes. “If-if that’s okay?” She asks unsurely, like Elsa is going to throw her out for being shirtless on top of her daughter. 

“Sure it is.” Casey says challengingly, “Right mom?”

Elsa narrows her eyes, leave it to Casey to try one of her little homophobia tests in the middle of getting caught doing something she isn’t supposed to be doing. “Right.”

Casey moves to close the door again but Elsa catches it just as swift. “I don’t think so young lady. Door stays open. All the way open.” She adds in firmly when Casey’s mouth drops open in indignation. 

“Jesus,” Izzie mutters in embarrassment from somewhere inside the room. 

Casey looks like she wants to protest but Elsa is having none of it. She stares at Casey meaningfully and slowly, painfully, Casey opens the door until it’s flush against the adjacent wall. 

“Food will be done in 30.” Elsa informs them before taking back off down the stairs. She figured her little chat with Casey couldn’t be held off any longer after this. 

Dinner is awkward only because Izzie refuses to look up from her plate even though Elsa tries to make conversation with her. She finds it amusing but Casey certainly does not so she stops trying after Casey shoots her the 5th glare and then dinner is mostly Doug trying to make conversation. 

Izzie does say goodbye to her after dinner at least but her cheeks are so red, Elsa has to try hard not to laugh then too. 

-

“Oh no,” Casey immediately groans when Elsa sits on the corner of her bed, “What do you want?”

“We need to have a chit chat little miss.” Elsa sing songs as she makes herself comfortable on the edge of Casey’s bed. 

Casey looks a touch nervous but she hides it well. “Whatever it was I didn’t do it.” She says reflexively. 

Elsa rolls her eyes. “Nope we’re having the sex talk: lesbian version.”

“Oh my god!” Casey practically screams, “No!”

Elsa laughs raucously but nods her head, “Yes we are. I have diagrams prepared this time.” She says impishly. She doesn’t actually because she knew Casey would be embarrassed but she _ can _ have them in less than five minutes if Casey so desires. 

Casey actually pales a few shades, “Please no I’m gonna barf.”

Elsa sobers and lightens up on the teasing. “Seriously though honey, are you and Izzie being safe?” She doesn’t need to ask if they’ve already done it because she knows with a surety that they already have. She hasn’t seen or heard anything for which she is very grateful but a mother just knows these things. 

Casey looks like she’d rather be anywhere else but she still nods, albeit stiffly.

“Good,” Elsa chirps, “Do you have any questions?” She folds her hands primly over her lap, straightens her shoulders. She was prepared for anything Casey could possibly ask her. 

“Yes actually,” Casey says slowly, “So if I use my mouth and don’t use protection, does that mean Izzie gets pregnant? Because if so then-“ She winces, “She did throw up yesterday morning _ and _ her periods late...” She says leadingly. 

Elsa glares at her flatly. “You... are not funny, Casey Gardener.”

Casey grins but her smile does soften. “We’re good mom, promise.”

Elsa sniffs, “Good because I really like Izzie and I’d choose her in the break up.” It isn’t a complete lie but it isn’t the whole truth either. She’d at least have the decency to hide it behind Casey’s back but she would definitely be a double agent.

Casey tilts her head to the side, her eyes a little searching. Elsa waits her out. “You really are okay with this.” It’s not a question. She almost sounds surprised.

Elsa laughs and tries not to be offended, “Casey, I told you I was!” She doesn’t include the fact that it’s been months of them dating and there’s never been an issue besides whatever Casey seems to think in her head. 

“I thought you were just lying,” Casey shrugs unrepentant, “But you like actually love Izzie. Way more than you did Evan anyway.” She almost sounds accusatory but not entirely angry. 

Elsa doesn’t know how to describe why Izzie makes her feel protective without delving into parental dynamics that she’d rather not get into right now, but Casey is rarely open to these kinds of conversations and Elsa won’t miss the moment because of old healing wounds. “My mother wasn’t the best growing up either,” She tells Casey, “Izzie reminds me of that sometimes. She’s a good kid and it’s not her fault what goes on at home.”

Casey blinks. “Huh.” Her eyes shift away, lost in thought, “Well,” She drawls after a long moment of contemplative silence stretching between them, “I give you permission to keep Izzie if we ever break up. Which we won’t.”

Elsa smirks but inwardly awes at the surety Casey says the words with, “Oh you give me permission? I wasn’t aware that Izzie was _ yours _.” 

Casey blushes pink and splutters, “She’s not- I don’t think- _ mom! _”

The laugh Elsa lets out darkens the flush on Casey’s cheeks but she manages to curtail it before Casey can actually pop a blood vessel. She gets off the bed then, choosing to leave this conversation on a high note then push her look and have the moment sour. 

“Well if you do come up with any _ actual _ questions,” Elsa tells her pointedly, “You know where to find me.”

Casey smiles, a genuine sweet smile directed at her, “Thanks mom.” Then she coughs and grimaces and rubs her chest, “Sorry, I said get out mom.”

Elsa rolls her eyes but laughs too at the teasing on Casey’s face. She hangs out in the doorway for a moment and just watches Casey do her homework. It’s a scary thought that she almost lost this. A year ago everything had been flipped upside down and the walls of this house had been dripped in pain at every turn. She thinks if she had to repeat all those mistakes to get to here, she’d gladly do them again. Maybe a little differently of course, but she would strive for the same outcome. 

“Mom,” Casey sighs in mild annoyance, “I can feel your melancholy from here. Get out.” 

Elsa leaves her be and though a year ago Casey sending her off like this would have hurt her heart, now it just amuses her. She almost tears up at how fast her little girl has grown up, how much further she still has to go. She knows she’ll be there for every step of the way. 

~

  
  
  



End file.
